SIGNINGS, RE-SIGNINGS, & RELEASES

CHICAGO — Union Grand Prix is set to make its third trip to Chi-Town this weekend for UGP 12, and as always, the MMA standard continues to grow.

Over the past week, Union GP has signed five new fighters to compete in all four divisions. The Heavyweight Division will see Desmond Halladay begin his journey through the ranks, the Cruiserweight Division adds Jeremy Cayton to the mix, the Middleweight Division brings in Shay Dempsey, and the Lightweight Division continues to add tremendous depth with the additions of Gracyn Knight and Lexi Sheckler.

With the new signings, come releases. The yin and yang to the business. It has been reported and now confirmed that Heavyweight fighter Fra McCulloch has asked and been granted his release. “The Headhunter” finishes his Union tenure with a 1-1 record. We would like to wish The Firm MMA product the best on his future endeavors.

Also of note, no updates have been made toward current free agents Kenzi Grey, Brock Quarry, or Simon Bishop. All three fighters have stayed in contact but no progress can be reported.

And finally, we can report one final bit of contract news, which has to do with a renegotiation with one of the biggest fighters right now. Current #1 ranked Lightweight fighter Misty DeMeans has struck a new deal before her current one has expired. She has signed a Union GP exclusive deal for four fights at $900,000 per fight. Sources close to the arguably vexing competitor said she wanted to tie this up before her inevitable bout against Lightweight Champion Hanako Takeuchi.